A Hunter's Beginning
by madisontaylor22
Summary: Mia is thrusted into the world of hunting when she discovers her best friend is hiding a morbid secret. With the help of Sam and Dean Winchester, she must come to terms with this newly discovered world and decide if she has what it takes to be a hunter and help save her world. DeanxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay so the first chapter is going to be a little short, but I promise it gets better and longer as it goes on. This is my first Supernatural fanfic and I could use all the feedback and comments I can get. It's going to be DeanxOC, and I also promise that Mia will become more likeable as the story goes on. Anyway, thanks for checking it out and let me know what you think and if I should continue publishing! **

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Dean… ;P**

A small woman in an oversized trench coat walked swiftly through the parking lot of the Roadhouse, a light rain drizzling upon her uncovered head. She held the door open for some leaving bar-goers and then made her way through the entry. She walked slowly up to the bar, searching for the person who matched the description she had scrawled on a yellow sticky-note.

A young girl approached her with a glass in hand. "Can I help you?" she asked, setting the glass upon the bar surface.

"Uh," the woman stumbled with her words. "Are you Ellen?"

She didn't think that the description accurately described this girl, but all she knew for sure was that this 'Ellen' worked at the bar, and this girl clearly did.

The girl eyed the woman suspiciously now, her blonde eyebrows rising guardedly. "Who's asking?"'

Once again the woman hunched over and spoke in a quiet whisper. "My friend John Moran sent me…" she glanced around the bar. It was rather busy tonight, with mostly older men sitting around with their buddies. Cigar smoke settled in the air along with the harsh stench of stale whiskey.

"You can relax, lady," the young girl said with a bit of attitude. "I'll go get my mom."

"So you're not Ellen?"

"No. I'm her daughter. Jo."

"Oh," the woman said. "I'm Mia," she said in a hushed voice once again, almost afraid to let her guard down.

Jo smiled through tight-lips and then walked quickly away to find her mother.

While Mia waited for her return, she cautiously eyed throughout the bars' occupants. Almost all were male, except for a few women who looked rather brusque and hard-edged. Mia silently wished that she had asked that girl for a drink to calm her nerves. She had never been in a place like this before, nor had she even known such a place existed. It was small, but there were tables around and some of the inhabitants seemed perfectly happy leaning against the wall, drink in hand, chatting about each other happily.

"Heard you were lookin' for me," a voice caused Mia to jumped back to reality.

A new older woman took the place of the young Jo. This version more accurately represented John's description, and Mia let out a breath of relief. Contrast to her daughter's blonde hair, Ellen was a brunette with consistent lines of worry etched into her face.

"Hi, Ellen?"

"That's me. You said John Moran sent you?" her eyes flitted up and down Mia in almost distastefully.

"Yes. I have a… Problem," she started, glancing on either side of her again.

"What are you looking for?" Ellen asked hastily, observing Mia's overly cautious behavior. "I guarantee any problem you've got will be nothing new to these people."

Mia felt herself relax but only a little bit. John had said she'd be safe here, but she couldn't be sure. That was why she dressed like a celebrity hiding from the paparazzi- all black, large trench coat, a baseball cap and dark sunglasses that she had left in the glove box of her car.

"It's my roommate," Mia said, her voice shaking slightly. "We've been rooming together for about three years now… But things have… Changed."

Ellen's face softened and she leaned down and pulled up two glasses. "You seem like you need a drink."

Ellen had brought down a bottle of whiskey from the shelf and filled each glass about half way. Ellen took the barstool next to her and urged Mia to continue.

"It all started a few months ago. I noticed she was staying out longer than usual. We just graduated, so it might be normal, you know, to stay out late. But Renee is different. I wouldn't exactly call her a nerd… But yeah, she's a nerd. She would choose reading over partying any day. And now…"

"What's happened?" Ellen listened with piquing interest.

"In the shower. It was almost like there was… skin at the bottom. Almost like she was shedding." Ellen seemed to understand right away. She took a swig of her drink and set it down hard on the bar top.

"Shape-shifter," she murmured.

"That's what John said," Mia whispered, furrowing her eyebrows together. When John had told her, she could hardly believe it. She almost laughed right in his face! But now, she couldn't be sure.

"So it's real?"

"What? Shape-shifters? Unfortunately. So you say this just started with your friend then?"

"This is the first I've noticed it. Do you… Do you think something is taking her form?"

"That could be it," Ellen pondered thoughtfully. "Or could be she's taken her true form. Some shape shifters don't learn who they are til' later on."

"This is crazy," Mia rubbed her now throbbing temple and shook her head. "I wouldn't of come here, but I think… I think she's hurting people."

"What do you mean?" Ellen cocked her head to the side and picked up her glass again, ready for another chug. She glanced at Mia's untouched drink, but to Mia's gratitude, did not mention it.

"There have been some stabbings around my town. I saw a video from a gas station security footage on the news. It even looked like her, but the eyes produced this sort of flare that apparently screwed with the authorities directly matching her. John said that's a typical sign of shape-shifter abilities."

"Yeah, that'd be the proof," Ellen shook her head. "So why'd John send you here?"

"He wouldn't really tell me. Just said that he's 'done with that part of his life'"-" at that, Ellen snorted- "he said you could help me find someone that could help me… Stop her, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah." She stood up from her seat and took a deep breath. Mia finally picked up her glass and took a tentative sip. She'd never been one to drink pure liquor. "I've got some friends. They're always out right now lookin' for any job they can find. I'll give them a call and tell them to go investigate."

"Okay." She stood up now too, and this time tried to take a large chug of whiskey. She heaved a cough and almost choked, making Ellen shake her head and chuckle.

"Should've given you a Bloody Mary," she clucked her tongue.

"Not a big alcohol person," Mia replied, trying to will the harsh taste of whiskey from her mouth.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," she said, leaning up against the bar top. "I'll give my friends your information and they'll be there within the week."

"Okay, what am I supposed to do?"

"You just sit back and act like everything's normal," when Mia began to protest about how that wasn't as simple as it seemed, Ellen waved her hands out in front of her. "I know it ain't gonna be easy, but you really need to act like you've got no idea what's going on. Might wanna start becoming a big alcohol person," she added.

Mia sighed. "Who are they? Your friends? How will I know them when they come?"

"Oh, you'll know 'em," Ellen's lips curled into a smile. "Sam and Dean Winchester. Can't miss 'em."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who favorited and followed :) I really appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter! Please review!**

Mia had spent the next two days trying to avoid Renee as much as she possibly could. Luckily, that hadn't been too much of a task on account that Renee was still being as sketchy and secretive as before Mia left to seek out Ellen. Whenever Renee was home, however, Mia made sure she was not alone.

Today, Mia was home alone. Renee stayed plastered to the couch, her usually glossy, blonde hair wiry and greasy, as if she hadn't showered in a few days. Her empty eyes stared at the TV.

"Hey Renee," Mia tentatively stepped into the living room, trying to stop her hands from shaking. "You okay?"

Renee's eyebrow twitched slightly and she turned to look at Mia. "Everything is fine, Mia," she said in a fake tone. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"No reason!" Mia said, forcing a smile of her own. "Just making sure you're okay."

Renee's face slowly rotated back to the TV and grimacing, Mia walked back into the kitchen. She stared up at the clock. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. She was hoping that this Sam and Dean would've shown up by now. She quietly fretted upon the fact that maybe they weren't coming at all…

Making her way upstairs, she decided that it might be best to stick in her room rather than face whoever or whatever it was sitting downstairs in her living room. She closed the door and lie down on the bed with a huff. She hadn't felt safe in her own home for months now, and she didn't think she could stick around much longer.

The walls in her room were coated with an ivory paint and decorated with black and white accessories. When she and Renee had decided to rent a house instead of their usual small apartments they'd gotten in college, Mia had been on a black and white kick, and tried to get everything with those colors, including the bed sheets and mirror hanging above the dresser.

She stood up again, her heart racing too fast to lie still, and ran her finger over the spines of books lined up on her white bookshelf. Sighing, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed John's number.

"Hey, Mia," the voice answered sleepily after a few rings.

"Oh hey, did I wake you at two in the afternoon?" she let out a chuckle. She knew that he worked until four in the morning so he'd usually go to bed around five and would sleep until the evening.

"Just taking a nap," he lied in a gruff voice. "How's everything?"

She knew he was referring to the monster downstairs and she bit her lip uncertainly. "It's been two days, John. Ellen said they'd be here as soon as possible."

"I wouldn't worry," he replied. "In this line of business, things can come up like _that_. They probably got sidetracked or something."

Mia ran a hand through her light brown hair. "You're probably right. I'm just paranoid."

At that moment, Mia heard the distant sound of a doorbell. She almost dropped the phone. "The doorbell just rang," she whispered into the phone. "What if it's them?"

"Well why don't you hang up and go find out? Before Renee does, preferably," he added.

Mia's heart jumped. Renee was in the living room; she would most definitely beat Mia to the front door. "Okay! I'll call you back! Bye!" she hung up the phone hastily and practically jumped down the staircase.

She turned the corner and bumped right into a man's large frame. She stepped back a few paces and looked up. "I'm so sorry," she said.

There were two men and Renee standing before her. The one she'd bumped into had longer brown hair, a sharp jaw and warming green eyes. He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her and smiled. "It's okay," he said.

"Mia," Renee purred in a drawling voice. "You didn't tell me you called the plumbers."

It was now that she noticed the two men's outfits. They were in blue jumpsuits, and each had a nametag. The one who she bumped into was wearing one with the nametag: Mitchell, the other's said: Roger.

"Yeah, uh," Roger said clearing his throat awkwardly. "We got a call that you had some plumbing issues," he looked at Mia with a knowing expression.

"Ah, yes," Mia fumbled for her words. "Plumbing."

"I didn't know we were having problems?" Renee leaned against the wall, her dark eyes narrowing in the direction of her roommate. Mia felt a bead of sweat develop on the back of her neck. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I've been hearing some things coming from the toilet," she lied quickly.

"Things? From the toilet?" Renee laughed. "Oh honey, you're starting to sound paranoid." She glanced at who Mia really suspected to be Sam and Dean before turning away. "Well, I'm going out anyway. Places to be, people to see," she stopped by 'Roger' and placed a hand on his chest flirtatiously. "I'm sure you know all about that, Sugar."

It was almost as if this Roger character was having an internal struggle to not act on natural instinct and flirt back. Instead, he kind of nodded in an awkward way and replied, "I sure do," before stepping away from her touch. Renee let out a chuckle before walking past them and out of the door muttering, "don't wait up."

The three of them waited until they could hear the screech of tires leaving the driveway and then Mia let out a large sigh. "You're not really here for toilet problems right?"

The one wearing Mitchell's tag let out a chuckle. "No. I'm Sam, and that's Dean," he motioned towards the man formerly known as Roger, who was now walking into the kitchen and observing the area.

"Hi, I'm Mia," she said, walking with Sam into the kitchen as well. "Do you want something to drink?"

Sam and Dean sat down at the kitchen table, while Mia poured them each a glass of beer and put out some cheese and crackers. Dean, who had shorter hair and beautiful green eyes like his brother, reached for the crackers immediately. Sam gave Dean a sidelong look and Dean shrugged. "We haven't eaten since morning, I'm hungry okay?"

"I hope it wasn't too much trouble getting out here," Mia said, knowing that her location in Kansas wasn't much of a 'most wanted place to travel to'. "I just don't know what else to do."

"Right. Shape-shifter," Dean said, cracker dust floating out of his mouth when he spoke. Sam shook his head in disgust and then turned his attention to her.

"Tell us what's been going on," he urged, offering a sympathetic smile.

Mia started from the beginning, how at first, Renee was a sweet and innocent college girl who spent most of her weekends studying and reading for fun. She never understood why Renee and her had clicked, but they did, and they'd been best friends for the past three years. Now, a year out of college, they rented this place and each had part-time jobs since the job market was so bad they couldn't even find full-time positions. She told them how a few months ago, everything with Renee changed. She stopped reading, she started going out more, and she brought strange men home. Mia wasn't even sure Renee slept with them, but she did know that by the next morning, they vanished, no trace of their existence.

Then she told them about the skin she'd found in the shower. This seemed to interest them far more than anything else she had told them.

"Was there a lot of skin?"

"Yeah, I mean, it wasn't dead skin she'd peeled off the bottom of her foot. It was a lot, and it was settled by the drain. I normally would just ask her about it but the way she's been lately, I wasn't sure what to do. I told my friend John, who turns out, used to be a… hunter?" she shrugged. "He told me what it might be and then gave me Ellen's information. Said she could help me out."

"Hold on," Dean said, waving his hand over the table. "So you're saying, you've got a hunter friend nearby, and we drove all the way out here when he could've just done the work for us?" he narrowed his eyes questioningly and looked from Mia to Sam.

"Look, I asked John. He said he wouldn't do it. He doesn't want to be in that sort of work anymore," Mia curled her hands into fists. "She's been hurting people, I know she has. I really need your help."

Sam and Dean exchanged another glance and then nodded in unison. "Of course we'll help," Sam replied.

Mia smiled despite herself and let out a sigh of relief. "I can't thank you enough."

"You don't have to thank us," Sam returned her smile.

"Well, hold on there, Sammy," Dean leaned forward and his mouth perked into a smirk. "I can think of a few ways Mia here can thank us," he winked.

"Dean," Sam warned, but Mia laughed.

"As charming as you are," she stood up from the table. "My gratitude can only be expressed through money, food, transportation, whatever you need."

"What's the matter? You married? Have a boyfriend?" Dean stood up now too and followed Mia, leaning onto the kitchen island. "You're not a lesbian, are you?" his eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"No," Mia responded, slightly overwhelmed by the questions. "Just not interested," she smiled as sweetly as she could and then leaned back against the fridge. "So what now?"

"Well, we need to find out if Renee _is _the shape shifter, or if a shape shifter is taking her form," Sam said. "You said her entire personality has changed as well?"

Mia nodded. "She's a different person now. But, I feel like if someone were taking her form, wouldn't I see the true form at some point? I mean, I do live with her."

"Yes," Sam replied. "But it is possible that the shifter is just skilled in hiding from people. Depending on its skill level, a shifter can shed its skin in minutes."

"I can't believe this is happening," Mia shook her head and rubbed her temples. "Once you find out, what will happen then?" she was dreading asking this question, but she knew she needed to know now.

"She'll have to be stopped," Dean replied. "If she's hurting people."

Mia nodded, deciding not to press further. "And what about me? It isn't like I can just abruptly take a vacation as soon as some plumbers show up. I mean it seemed almost like she knew who you guys were as soon as she saw you."

"You'll just have to be on your toes," Sam said. "And silver."

"I'm sorry?" she questioned. "Silver?"

"Its a shape shifter's main weakness," Dean interjected. "Silver bullet to the chest—done for," he made a gun with his hands and then, with a look at Mia's startled expression, murmured, "sorry," and shrugged.

"It's alright," she shook her head. "I don't have a gun, though. Or silver bullets."

"Any kind of silver will do. Silver blade. A knife, maybe?" Sam stood up from the table now too, and made his way to stand next to his brother.

"Oh yeah, I think I have some old antique silverware from my mom," Mia crossed over to a drawer and opened it up. She pulled up the set of regular silverware and then reached a smaller container filled with old sterling silverware her mother gave to her when she moved into the home.

"That'll work. Hopefully you won't have to use it, but just as a precaution."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Mia put the regular silver back into the drawer and then clapped her hands together.

"Anything else I should know?" she asked.

"Don't confront her. If you see the skin again, call us immediately."

"Can I help?" she asked hesitantly.

"Ah, Sweetheart," Dean chuckled slightly. "Leave the dirty work to the big boys, okay?" he winked and Mia felt the hair on her neck bristle.

"Look, I am more than capable of helping. _I'm_ the one living with her, and _I'm_ the one who has access to her whenever she's here! I can help!"

Sam exchanged yet _another_ sidelong glance with Dean and muttered, "she has a point."

"And _she's_ right here," Mia hissed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Okay, okay," Dean put his hands up in surrender. "Once we figure out the source of all this, you can help by handing her to us when the time comes. Until then, there's nothing more you can really do," he added when Mia opened her mouth to protest again.

"Okay," Mia agreed softly. "Fine, but I want to be kept up to date. And I don't want you doing anything rash until you talk to me, got it?"

"Yes, Master," Dean replied, rolling his eyes. "Aren't you the one who came to us?"

"Yes, for help. And I _need_ your help. But she's my friend and I want to be apart of this. I don't think that's too much to ask."

"We understand," Sam said hurriedly before Dean could come back with another snide comment.

"Okay, good. Now, I meant it when I said I would help you guys too, like if you need a place to stay, there's a motel downtown that I could probably get you a discount at." She shrugged at their quizzical expressions. "I know the manager," she explained.

"Okay, great," Dean replied. "If you could just call up your buddy then and get us set up, that'd be awesome," he clapped his hands together and looked at the front door. "I just can't wait to get out of this friggin' jumpsuit."

"Yeah, of course." Mia pulled out her cell.

She got both Sam and Dean's number before calling Fred, the owner and manager of a small motel rightly named "Fred's Inn", and asking for a favor for a couple of old friends. Fred was more than happy to oblige and Mia let out a sigh of relief knowing this all seemed to be working out.

"Okay, your room is all set. I put you in as Roger and Mitchell, just to keep your identities up. Fred's a good man, you won't have any problems with him."

"Thanks," Sam smiled again. "And we'll contact you as soon as we find something."

"Thank you guys," Mia repeated, as they walked to the front door. "I really appreciate this.

"No problem, we're happy to help," Sam nodded, before opening the door.

He almost flinched when he almost stepped right into a small figure before him.

"Mia, I didn't know we were being extra appreciative to our plumbers nowadays, they must've really done a good job fixing your toilet," Renee mused, eyeing all three of them curiously.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for the favorites and follows again! And a special thanks to WinchestersDollFace for reviewing! You're the best!**

**Keep reading and reviewing please!**

"Uh, yeah," Mia replied. "They just gave me a huge discount on the payment," she lied quickly.

"Hmm," Renee pushed past both brothers and smiled. "Have a good day, Mitchell and Roger," she almost spit the words, before slamming the door in their faces.

"W-What are you doing home so soon?" Mia said, flustered at her sudden arrival. Usually when Renee would leave, she'd be gone for hours.

"It's drizzling outside. You know I don't like the rain." She walked past Mia and headed towards the living room. It was in that moment that Mia remembered something.

The sterling silverware on the counter.

Mia's heart pounded as she nonchalantly made her way into the kitchen, hoping Renee would take her normal spot on the couch staring at the news. She didn't know, and instead turned to face Mia right after she was about to cover the container of silverware with a dishtowel.

"You seem a little jumpy today," Renee noticed, stepping into the doorway of the kitchen. "Something on your mind?" Her eyes were narrowed devilishly.

"No, no." Mia forced another smile. She'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Are you sure? I know I've been rather… distant lately," she smiled. "But I'm still your best friend, aren't I?"

Renee was now looking at her through puppy-dog eyes. Mia felt her pulse quicken as she tried to search for something normal to say. She tried not to let her eyes stray to the dishtowel bundled up over the silver.

"Of course!" she squeaked. "Always."

"Good." Renee smiled through tight lips and then turned back to the living room. "I'm going to take a shower and then head out again."

"Okay," Mia called as she heard footsteps retreating up the stairs. She quickly grabbed the covered silverware container and waited until she heard the bathroom door close and lock. Then she bounded up the stairs and hid the container in the closet.

At around five Mia found herself pacing restlessly around her room again. She held her cell phone in her hands and debated calling Sam and Dean several times, before convincing herself it was a bad idea. After another few minutes of severe mind racing and pacing she clicked on her phone and dialed Sam's number.

"Hello?" a familiar deep voice answered.

"Hey, Sam. It's Mia," she was almost startled at how small her voice sounded.

"Oh hey," he replied. "We haven't found anything yet, if that's what you're calling for."

"Oh, no," Mia said hastily. "I was actually wondering if you and Dean could use a break. There's a restaurant downtown and I could use some time out of the house if you guys want to meet up…" she chewed on her nail while she waited for a response.

"Yeah, sure, Mia," he said after a few seconds that felt like hours to Mia. "We'd be happy to come."

She gave him the address and the directions and then hung up the phone. Feeling a sense of purpose, she went into her closet and picked out a pair of black leggings, a blouse and a jean jacket. She touched up her makeup and ran a brush through her hair and then headed out the door.

Climbing into her black BMW, she pulled out of her and Renee's neighborhood and headed to the restaurant. She had only been here twice, and once was with Renee. It was a small diner with almost every kind of food you could imagine. Mia had even once heard a rumor they were starting to serve sushi…

Sam and Dean had arrived before Mia, and waved to her from a booth towards the back of the small restaurant. Taking a seat next to Sam, she smiled and sighed. "It's been a long afternoon."

"Tell us about it," Dean groaned, flipping open his menu straight to the burger section. "We've been doing research for hours."

"_We_?" Sam repeated in an exasperated tone. "You mean, _I've_ been doing research all afternoon. You've just been sitting down watching TV."

"Hey, it's a team effort. I keep watch, you do research."

Mia giggled softly while Sam rolled his eyes. They reminded her of her and her sister's relationship, and she made a mental note to call her when this whole mess was over.

"So no luck finding anything?" Mia asked, while the waitress came by and filled up her ice water.

"Nope, not a thing. But we definitely think there's something going on over here. There have been more robberies and assaults within the past couple months. And all eyewitnesses say that though each assailant was different, it was always just one person. And we saw the footage with the retinal flare," Sam said, waving the waitress off when she went to pour more water.

"It all leads back to her," Mia said. "This didn't start happening until she changed. She's so different. She's arrogant now."

"Hey," Dean muttered while staring at a picture of a deluxe bacon cheeseburger on the menu. "Arrogance ain't all that bad."

Mia rolled her eyes and turned her body so that she was more facing Sam. "I thought of something after you left."

"What is it?" Sam asked, closing his menu.

"Well you said that we need to confirm it's the Renee in my house that's the shape shifter right? Well what if I playfully take a picture of her when she's vulnerable? I can tell her it's just a joke. I bought a new camera or something. She even made a remark how we're still best friends after you guys left. At least then we'll know if it's really her."

Dean looked up from his menu and shrugged. "Might actually work."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "It's worth a shot. Just keep a knife with you when you do it. It might surprise her."

Mia nodded. "I will."

The waitress came back and told them the special of the evening was smoked salmon and the soup of the day was clam chowder. Dean ordered, to nobody's surprise, the deluxe cheeseburger, while Sam chose the smoked salmon. Mia went with a grilled cheese, though she didn't really have an appetite for anything on the menu.

"So do you think she's always been like this?" Mia asked.

"It's possible. Some shape shifters don't learn about themselves until a lot later in life. Maybe Renee spent so long being shy like you said, this power has sort of, gone to her head," Sam speculated. Mia thought that made sense.

Before she could answer, the door to the restaurant opened and a group of people walked in. Mia recognized them immediately. One night when she had got home from work, she walked into the house to see this exact group of people in her living room. Renee had started hanging out with them after her transformation began.

"Great," she muttered under her breath. She knew she wasn't popular with them on account she had tossed them out when she saw they were doing drugs and almost broke Renee's mother's favorite vase she had passed down to her daughter for the new house.

"Friends of yours?" Dean was looking over his shoulder.

"You could say that," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "More like friends with Renee."

"Did she start hanging out with them after?" Sam asked, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Luckily Renee wasn't with them. Mia silently wondered if Renee was out robbing someone or somewhere. Her new friend group composed of four guys and five girls, all different ethnicities and all having bad attitudes. They had the restaurant put some tables together and sat down.

"Yeah, she did. Maybe they've had an influence on her too." She narrowed her eyes at them.

The waitress came back with their food and Sam and Dean began to dig in immediately. Mia however pushed her grilled cheese around on her plate and stared down, thinking.

"Not hungry?" Dean asked, mouth full, motioning towards her plate.

"Not right now. I just can't stop thinking about everything. I mean, I _know_ Renee's parents. If you guys have to…" she trailed off. "What will I tell them?"

Sam sighed next to her and put a hand on hers. "As bad as it sounds, it's kind of good she's causing all this trouble around here. They'll think the killer was this person she's portraying as."

Mia shuddered. "I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does," Dean said. "It'll be for the best. Shape-shifters, I don't know if it's what they drink or something, but they all turn out bad. All the ones we've met anyway."

"You've met some before?" Mia asked, somewhat startled.

"Yeah, on some of the jobs we've done. Annoying nuisances if you ask me," Dean grumbled. Mia tried to ignore the insult to her friend and pressed on.

"So you guys just go around hunting shape shifters?" she asked.

Sam chuckled. "Not just shape-shifters. All kinds of things."

"Like what?" she pressed.

"Monsters, ghosts, things that go bump in the night," Dean replied.

"What?" Mia couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "You aren't serious right? There are no such things as ghosts."

"Wait," Dean said, swallowing a French fry and shaking his head. "So you're telling me, that you're all willing to believe that your friend can shed her skin and turn into somebody else, but you don't believe that ghosts and ghouls walk the Earth."

She heard Sam chuckle at that and even Mia had to agree he had a point. She shrugged. "I honestly don't know what to believe. But I trust you guys."

"Already? It usually takes a couple days and a lot of smooth talking to earn the trust of females," Dean placed his hand over his heart as if he were touched.

"Speak for yourself," Sam muttered. Mia laughed.

"Hey, it's not my fault I've got this natural badass exterior that's intimidating to the ladies," he raised his eyebrows suggestively and Mia shook her head smiling.

"Yeah, I'm _so_ intimidated."

"Well if you're not it's just because I haven't worked my moves on you just yet," he raised his beer to her and winked.

"I will have you know that I am a _master_ at not falling for the 'moves'," she replied.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I even won an award with my sorority that I was the sister who rejected the most boys," she said proudly.

"We'll see about that," Dean replied, almost as proud as Mia.

They're bonding session was cut short when Mia noticed a figure walking towards their table. It was one of the girl's from the group. She was wearing a cut off shirt and low cut shorts that showed off her dark skin. Her hair was shaved on one side and her bangs were colored red.

"Hey you," she walked up to Mia and pointed an acrylic nail in her direction.

"Yes?" Mia asked, trying to hide her nerves.

"Where's Renee," she demanded as one of the guys walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Not here," Mia responded. "She said she was going out."

"Ay, you the girl that kicked us out a couple weeks ago," the man said. The whites of his eyes were red.

"Ay, that's me," Mia replied dryly. "Now me and my friends are trying to enjoy our meal if you could please leave—"

"Excuse me?" the girl interrupted, her finger hanging in the air. "You don't talk to us like that you hear me?"

"Yeah, you don't talk to my girl like that," the man repeated, laughing up a storm.

"Shut up, Raymond," she hissed. "Whatever. Renee's got plans for you anyway," she gave a small smile and then turned to leave.

"Wait, what do you mean she has a plan for me?" Mia stood up and started towards her, but she felt a hot burn on her face before she could do anything else. The girl had her hand raised and had apparently slapped her.

Mia rubbed her cheek and glared. She felt Sam and Dean's presences behind her immediately.

"Alright, let's not do anything we'll regret now," Dean said, anger etched into his voice.

"You don't approach me from behind, slut," the girl growled. The entire restaurant was now focused on the scene. Though they didn't seem to be too busy, Mia still felt hot with embarrassment.

"Is there a problem here?" the restaurant manager walked up to them. He was a small man, and Mia thought he stood no chance at being intimidating to the group of thugs.

"No sir," Raymond stepped in, his eyes still crinkled with laughter. "We just leaving," he grasped the woman's arm and pulled her quickly out of the restaurant. The rest of the group followed, leaving a few dollars to pay for the couple of beers they had ordered.

"You okay?" The restaurant manager who's nametag said Greg asked once they were gone.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mia was still clutching her cheek when she turned around and headed back to their booth.

Sam and Dean followed and watched as she pulled her wallet out of her bag and handed them a fifty-dollar bill.

"I should go," she said hurriedly, before making her way out of the restaurant. She heard a muffled 'wait', but she ignored it and stood outside of the building, reveling in the clean, cool, air that met her still-hot-face.

"Hey," Dean walked out a few seconds later and leaned against the building next to her.

"Hi," she felt tears well up in her eyes. She urged them away, and looked across the darkening street.

"Look, I don't know if you're embarrassed about—"

"Embarrassed?" Mia almost shouted. "Why would I be embarrassed? Not only did I just get slapped in the face in the middle of a restaurant, a woman calls me a slut and tells me that my best friend has _plans_ for me?! What does that even mean? Is she planning to _kill_ me?" she directed her questions at Dean but she knew he couldn't answer. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"Look, Mia. You're a good girl, and you've just been put into a really shitty situation," he replied after a minute. "Me and Sam, we're going to protect you, okay? I don't know if this means that Renee knows what you're up to, I don't know if she _is_ planning to kill you," he paused for just a second, "but now we have confirmation. She's planning something, and it's not good. We'll keep you safe, and in the mean time, me and Sam are going to stop her."

Mia stared off into space until she heard the door open and close again. Sam was now out of the restaurant too.

"Maybe it's best you stay at our hotel tonight," Sam said. "If Renee is really planning something, the easiest way she can get to you is when you're at home alone."

"No," Mia answered quickly.

"No?" Sam and Dean questioned at the same time.

"I'm going home. And I'm going to be in bed. And she's going to come for me. And it's going to be me." Her eyes were almost as empty as Renee's had been earlier.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Dean demanded, glancing at Sam.

"Yeah I am. I'm gonna do it. I'm going to kill Renee."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Please read and review!**

Mia lay awake in her bed. All of the lights were off, but Mia left her window curtains open in the hopes that the moon would provide some seeing ground for her. That, and Sam and Dean were waiting hidden in the bushes beside the house. The window was open partly. Mia was holding the knife in one hand, and a gun with silver bullets the Winchesters had been nice enough to loan her in the other under the blankets; her head lay back against the pillow. She bit her lip as she waited patiently

They couldn't be sure that Renee would choose tonight to kill Mia, but they had a good feeling, at least Mia did. She knew that the group of thugs they had seen at the restaurant would tell her whom Mia was with. Renee would put it together, if she hadn't already. Dean and Sam made her promise she would go down to them if Renee didn't come in by 4 AM. It was 3:12 AM now.

She heard the door creak.

She didn't open her eyes but she felt her heartbeat quicken and the grip on her weapons tightened. She could hear soft footsteps now. Her entire body tensed. She knew once the footsteps reached the bed, that was the call to action. She would leap up, stab or shoot her in the chest, and she'd be dead.

When a floorboard creaked close to the end of her bed, Mia sprung up, her gun poised in her hands, the knife dropping onto the blankets.

She immediately relaxed when she saw the figure though. It was John. She let out a sigh of relief and shook her head.

"What the Hell are you doing here, John?" she lowered the gun. He had his hands up in surrender.

"I called Ellen and heard Dean and Sam were here. I came by and they said you were up here. I just wanted to check on you, see if you needed some extra backup."

"Well Jesus," Mia was still calming her pounding heart. "You couldn't call out a warning or something?"

"Yeah, my bad." He chuckled and lowered his hands. "So that's how you planned to kill her, huh? Did Sam and Dean tell you about the silver?"

He walked over to her dresser and traced a finger along the smooth wood. His short brown hair was smooth and his beard neatly trimmed as always. Mia sat down on the bed.

"Yeah, they've been a real help." Mia watched him, absentmindedly turning the gun over and over in her hands. "I don't know what I would've done without them. One of Renee's new 'friends' basically told me she's plotting to kill me. Hence the gun and knife," Mia said.

John was quiet for a few moments. He walked over toward her closet. Mia continued to watch him.

And then she saw it. At first she wasn't sure. But then it sparkled in the light floating in from the window.

There was a knife up the sleeve of his plaid shirt.

Mia immediately stood up and positioned the gun on him again. "John."

He spun around, not at all surprised to see her in this position. "I was wondering when you would figure it out." He smiled.

"What are you doing? Why do you have that knife hidden from me?" she backed up, her eyes moving from the knife to John every few seconds.

"Mia, it's me," John laughed. "I swear, you are so thick-headed sometimes."

Mia stayed quiet for a moment and then put it together. "Renee?"

"Yes, stupid bitch," she growled.

Mia held the gun up. "Renee, don't make me do this. Tell me it's not true."

"What's not true? That I haven't been running around, stabbing and robbing people? Mia, do you honestly doubt it?"

Mia tried to stay still, her hands shaking.

"I am so sick and tired of being the shy one. Of being the innocent little Renee. Look at me, I'm almost twenty-five years old and I'm living in the house our parents put together and bought for us! It's pathetic. I want money, I want power, and I want fame," John's body gripped the knife into its hand and stared at it almost lovingly.

"It's been too long, Mia. I want my comeuppance. And sadly, you're just getting in my way."

"What did you do to Sam and Dean?" Mia demanded, her finger straining to press the trigger.

"Oh, they're fine. For now. Now why don't you put that gun down so we can have another heart to heart, for old times sake?" John's body smiled but Mia shook her head in anger.

"No. I'll see you in Hell!" And with that, she pulled the trigger. But Renee was too quick, and ran out of the bullets way just in time. She ran over to Mia and smacked her, the shape-shifter's superhuman shape throwing her against the wall.

Mia felt her head crack against the wall, and the ivory paint was now decorated with drops of Mia's blood. She rubbed her head in pain, but then focused back to Renee, who was now running towards her, knife in hand.

Mia screamed and kicked out her legs, hitting John's body square in the abdomen. Letting out a curse, Mia took the time to crawl over to the gun that was knocked out of her hand and grabbed it, quickly picking it up and pointing it back at Renee.

But Renee was no longer there. Mia searched all around the room, her vision blurring slightly from the pressure of being thrown into a wall.

Then, Mia felt someone picking her up from behind and slamming her against the wall. Renee turned her so that they were facing each other, and then placed John's hand around Mia's throat.

Mia struggled to get away, she couldn't breathe and even as she kicked with all her might, Renee just laughed and shook her head. "Struggle all you want, best friend. It's over."

"Not quite."

At that, Sam and Dean stormed into the room, Dean holding his gun up and shooting it almost instantly. Mia felt the pressure loosen as she dropped to the floor, Renee no longer strangling her. Sam rushed over to her as she heard Dean curse. "I missed."

"You okay?" Sam asked, gently pulling her forward to examine the back of her head.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Mia lied. She really felt like her head was on fire and her airways had been crushed. "Where's Renee?"

At that moment, as if on queue, they heard a car start in the driveway. Knowing full well that Renee didn't have a car of her own, and relied on carpooling to get around, Mia struggled angrily to her feet.

"That bitch better not be taking my car!" She yelled, attempting to walk out of the room.

"Just stay here," Sam advised calmly. "Dean will go check on the car."

"Why do you get to stay with the hot girl—"

"Dean!" Sam interrupted and Dean sighed and walked out of the room. "You might need to get some stitches for that," he said, grabbing towel out of her bathroom and placing it against her wound.

"What happened? What did she do to you guys?" Mia whispered, her vision going in and out.

"Don't worry about us right now, okay? Once we figure out its safe, we'll get you to the hospital."

Sam waited until Dean strode through the door again. "No car in the driveway," he confirmed. Mia let out a sigh and felt her brain shutting down from the pain.

"Dean, we've got to get her to the hospital. She might have a really bad concussion, plus I think she needs stitches," Sam concluded.

"Okay. I'll go get the car."

He walked once again out of the room to go bring the car around to the house, since Sam and Dean had stealthily hidden the car further into the neighborhood so Renee wouldn't be suspicious.

Dean returned within minutes and helped Sam carry Mia out of the house and rest her safely on the backseat of the Impala.

"Make sure she's got enough towels under her head," Dean instructed as they pulled away from the home. "Don't want any bloodspots on my baby," he stroked the steering wheel, earning both a dirty look from Sam and a "what the Hell is wrong with you?".

x

They were at the hospital the next morning. Mia had slipped into unconsciousness when they arrived, and the doctor stitched up her head and kept her overnight for observation. Despite the doctor urging the two brothers to head home and get a good night's sleep, Dean and Sam stayed in the waiting room all night and waiting eagerly for Mia to wake up.

"I can't believe I missed," Dean mumbled, shaking his head. "I never miss."  
"She moved too fast," Sam assured. "Well, hopefully she gets the message. Mia is going to be hard to kill. Maybe she'll leave town and she won't come back."

"Yeah, well, that's wishful thinking Sam," Dean replied. "If she wants Mia dead, she won't stop until _she's _dead."

"So what do you suggest? We sit around and babysit her until Renee comes back, _if_ she comes back?" Sam demanded, his eyes narrowed.

"No, no. I don't know. Let's just wait until she wakes up."

Sam rolled his eyes. "If you're hoping to sleep with her—"

"I'm not!" Dean innocently held up his hands. "I just—I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Okay…" Sam trailed off.

About an hour later, the doctor informed Dean and Sam that Mia was now awake. They walked into her room and saw her sitting up in bed, drinking orange juice from a straw and smiling.

"This is some damn good orange juice," she said. "Did you guys have some?"

"No," Sam answered, smiling at her good spirits.

"You should," she took another large sip and then sighed. "I hate hospitals."

"At least they have good orange juice," Dean mumbled.

"Yes!" Mia burst into a fit of giggles.

"Drugs?" Sam asked Dean.

"Drugs," Dean confirmed. They imagined she was getting a fair amount of painkillers to subside the pain in her head.

"Well, she looks pretty happy, I guess we can go—" Dean started to turn away but Mia shook her head forcefully.

"No, no!" she shouted, stopping Dean in his tracks. "You can't leave me here!"

Sam looked from Dean to Mia. "Mia, we really can't stay. You know how to kill her if she comes back; you just have to keep on your toes. Maybe stay with a relative for a while," he said.

"No, please. If I stay here, they'll kill me too!" her eyes were wide in fear.

"Who?"

"The gang!"

Dean and Sam remembered Renee's little gang and sighed. "Crap," Dean murmured.

"Let me come with you," Mia said softly from the hospital bed.

"Sorry?" Dean smiled with sarcasm. "Nuh-uh, no way Honey, sorry."

"I can help you guys! And you can keep me safe until we get rid of Renee," she pleaded, sitting up more in bed. "I know I feel a little woozy right now, but I can help. You can't leave me," tears welled up in her eyes and Dean looked away.

"No, make her stop," he growled. "I can't say no to a crying woman, I just can't okay?"

Sam sighed. "Maybe it's not such a bad idea."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Dean said, turning his attention to his brother. "She'll just slow us down!"

"You don't know that, and hey, you were the one all into protecting her earlier. Maybe she could learn something, and if not, it'll keep her under wrap for at least a little while."

Dean stared at his brother. "You're serious." Sam nodded and shrugged. "Jesus." Dean looked back at Mia. "Fine. We get out of the hospital, you put some things together, you get in the car, and you don't speak. Got it?"

Mia's face burst into a smile. "Yes! Thank you! Thank you!" She leaned back against her hospital bed and took another chug of her orange juice.

Dean gave one last look at Sam before muttering something about "protecting", "stupid girls", and lastly something about that "goddamn orange juice", before trudging out of the room.


End file.
